Red is the Color of Her Dress
by SilverTurtle
Summary: Bailey dresses up for the sake of dressing up and manages to get the attention of someone unexpected. Femslash. Fluff and subtext.


_**A/N:** Just putting this here to remind everyone that the annual Suite Life Halloween collection is rapidly approaching! We're looking for more people to write some Halloween themed stories (horror, humor, romance, anything) for the collection. If you've got a Halloween story you're just perishing to write, please don't hesitate to contact me or Lodylodylody. We're accepting submissions from now until November 1st, 2011. If you don't want to write we'd be much obliged if you read and reviewed the stories we'll be collecting from multiple authors in the fandom we share when we begin posting. _

*****'*****

**RED IS THE COLOR OF HER DRESS**

Bailey Pickett was not a girl generally taken with frivolities or fancy dress. She was a simple farm girl who liked to wear simple and functional clothing in her every day life. She didn't much see the point of getting all gussied up in a dress, heels, and make-up unless it was for a special event. On an every day basis Bailey typically preferred a good pair of pants with a t-shirt and sneakers but she did, on occasion, enjoy dressing up. Her Mama would call it 'dressing to impress' but Bailey wasn't looking to impress anyone, except maybe herself, so she just called it 'looking prettier than normal' and went about her day.

She'd worn a dress in a flattering shade of red, put on some strappy gladiator sandals that showed off her pedicure, styled her hair in a wavy fashion, and applied a bit of make-up to give her eyes a smoky sultry appearance. She'd looked at herself in the mirror and had been stunned by how just a few changes had turned her from average to yowza! Instant confidence boost. She loved how she looked when she dressed like this. It reminded her that she didn't always have to be the 'frumpy farm girl' London was so keen on labeling her as, she could be just as heart-poundingly attractive as any of the women in magazines. Her self-esteem soaring she'd exited her quarters and headed to the Lido Deck to enjoy her Saturday.

Now just because she wasn't intending to impress anyone didn't mean that she didn't want people to notice she was making an extra effort this particular day, but it seemed as though not a single one of her friends had noticed any difference.

When she'd said good morning to London when she'd found her in a lounge chair London had scoffed that Bailey had tried to speak to her while she was ordering shoes from a special edition catalogue and dismissed Bailey without a glance.

When she'd stopped by their table at lunch time Addison and Woody had been too wrapped up in each other and their internet game to acknowledge her at all.

When she'd tried to greet him that afternoon Cody had run right by her screaming about seagulls on a rampage and nearly dumped a serving tray on her.

When she finally settled herself at the juice bar feeling a little dispirited Zack had been preoccupied by a set of new passengers who'd boarded the day before but had given her an appreciative once-over, which cheered her for a moment before she remembered he did that every day so Bailey couldn't be sure if he actually noticed the change.

In fact, none of the dozen classmates she'd spoken with that day had made any comment about how she looked and Bailey wasn't about to go fishing for compliments (though one or two would have been nice).

She heaved a sigh and smiled a little to herself while shaking her head. Maybe no one had noticed but she still knew she looked good.

"Bailey?"

At the sound of her name in that very familiar but entirely unexpected English accent Bailey swiveled on her bar stool and caught herself on the counter before she toppled over. "Jessica?"

Bailey watched Jessica's eyes twinkle a bit as she smiled so she saw when Jessica's eyes shifted to take in Bailey's attire and widen a bit as she got the full effect of the outfit. Bailey felt a rush of satisfaction when Jessica blew out a quiet wolf-whistle and smiled at her. "My goodness, you are looking quite fetching today!"

Bailey laughed and stood to give Jessica a hello hug, "Nice of someone to notice."

Jessica pulled back and pulled a mock aghast face, "Who wouldn't notice?"

Bailey grinned and hooked a thumb over her shoulder to indicate Zack and Cody, both now behind the bar.

Waving her hand dismissively Jessica said, "Well, boys are silly. You're lovely."

"Thank you," Bailey blushed. The quiet sincerity in Jessica's tone was somehow better than any exclaimed comment or second look could have been from her classmates and started a little flutter in Bailey's belly. "That means a lot coming from you."

"Because I'm a model," Jessica nodded sagely.

"No," Bailey disagreed and took Jessica's hand when she gave Bailey a startled look, "because you're my friend. None of my other friends even looked at me today."

Jessica squeezed Bailey's hand then reached up to tuck an errant lock of hair behind Bailey's ear with her free hand. She smiled as her fingers lingered to trail softly along Bailey's jaw. "They're used to seeing you be attractive every day. Lucky me, I get to be pleasantly reminded every time I come to visit."

Bailey's fading blush roared back darker than ever and Jessica laughed musically.

"Come on," Jessica said as she tugged on Bailey's hand, "Let me buy you a smoothie."

Bailey bashfully looked away and said, "That would be really nice, thank you."

"Hm," Jessica hummed with a smile, "I want to see if it'll cool that blush."

Bailey turned wide eyes on Jessica and felt her face darken again, "I forgot how easily you can make me blush."

Jessica laughed, swung their still joined hands, and leaned over to kiss Bailey's very red cheek. "I try," Jessica confided in a murmur close to Bailey's ear, "You're very cute when you go all pink like this. And I like knowing I have this effect on you."

Bailey turned her head and pressed her forehead to Jessica's temple and smiled while she said, "You're a wicked woman, Jess."

Jessica wrapped her arms around Bailey, "You'd not have me any other way." She squeezed and released Bailey, "Now, I owe you a smoothie. What flavors has Zack got today?"

As they discussed the merits of the various smoothie flavors Bailey thought fate must have been feeling kindly towards her today.

Jessica wasn't around all that often, spending the majority of her time globe trotting and modeling in exotic locations, and Bailey felt incredibly lucky that she had managed to show up on a day when Bailey was looking better than usual. It wasn't often that Bailey got to have the opinion of a model on her outfits, though she's certain that given Jessica's disposition the model would always be complimentary even if Bailey were wearing her oldest pair of overalls with a ratty t-shirt, but Jessica's wide eyes and low whistle when she'd first seen Bailey had been the sort of reaction she'd been hoping for all day. She might not have dressed to impress but she was very proud she'd managed to do it anyway.

Looking at herself that morning she'd felt certain she'd looked great and had felt her confidence in that matter bolster her self-esteem. But that boost had been nothing compared to the rush she'd felt when Jessica's appreciative gaze had swept over her. And Bailey had to wonder, in a part of her mind she rarely acknowledged existed, if she'd have gotten that rush had it been Zack or Cody who'd looked at her that way. Somehow she didn't think so, and she blushed to know that, but she pushed that thought aside and decided she'd much rather enjoy the time she had left with Jessica than worry over something she wasn't ready to think about.

Jessica pushed a pink smoothie towards Bailey across the counter top. "It matches your blush," Jessica said with a teasing grin.

Bailey laughed and tried not to blush any darker as she looked into Jessica's sparkling eyes, "It must be lovely then."

With a wide smile and flirtatious wink Jessica boldly said, "You are."

And Bailey's face went nearly as red as her dress.

**THE END**

*****'*****

_**A/N:** That was fun. Please review. Any questions about the annual Suite Life Halloween collection may be directed to myself or Lodylodylody in a PM. _


End file.
